Man admits murdering 3 in house fire horror
Life term for blaze tragedy which claimed lives of family members
A MAN has pleaded guilty to the murder of three members of the same family in a house fire.
Denise Gossett, 45, her son Roman, 16, her daughter Sabrina, 19, and Sabrina’s 15-month-old daughter Morgana Quinn, were all killed on February 27, 2018.
Daniel Sebastian Allen, 32, of Doon Road, Derrylin, appeared in Craigavon Crown Court yesterday.
He pleaded guilty to the murder of Roman and Sabrina, as well as Morgana.
Allen also pleaded guilty to arson and, relating to the death of Denise, he admitted manslaughter “by reason of suicide pact”.
Allen was sentenced to life imprisonment, and will appear again in court in mid-september for a tariff hearing. This will determine the minimum amount of time he will spend in prison before he can be considered for release.
Appearing in the dock wearing a checked shirt, accompanied by officers, Allen read his pleas from a sheet of paper held by an official.
He did not react when Mr Justice O’hara delivered a life sentence for the murders of the family at their home in Derrylin, Co
Fermanagh. The judge thanked the jury members, who had been sworn in on Monday, for their time.
He added that he wanted them to be there for Allen’s plea so they understood why the case would not be proceeding as planned.
Defence barrister Frank O’donoghue said his client understood the charges against him.
Prosecution barrister David Mcdowell said he was
satisfied with the new arraignment conditions. Allen had previously been set to contest the charges of murder on the grounds he claimed he had been involved in a suicide pact with Denise and Sabrina.
He alleged he had no part in the death of the younger two victims.
On these grounds, Allen previously pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, and not guilty to murder and not guilty to one count of arson with intent to endanger life.
Allen has been in custody since 2018. During a court session in early 2022 the defence team concluded Allen’s mental health assessment did not provide evidence of diminished responsibility.
Allen will appear in court again for a tariff hearing on Friday, September 15.